Subject: Crows
Date: Nov 02 09:06:15 1998
From: John Fleckenstein - JFMM490 at gwgate.wadnr.gov


I agree that crows are one of the most fascinating birds around. I'm sure that is partially because they are big enough and bold enough to be conspicuous.

Each fall, the locals around my office feed on English walnuts. The nuts are too hard to open by beak, so the crows carry them up about 50 feet over the road and parking lot and drop them. They dive after the pieces which are usually rolling down the street. After a day or two, moocher crows appear and perch on lamp posts nearby. They try to beat the workers to the pieces. This leads to some great flying exhibitions. I love watching the show but am a little nervous about walking down the sidewalk, and I don't leave my car out in the lot.

Back in Iowa, people hunt crows. I think it's a left over from the days of bounties. No, they don't have to eat them - at least not yet. We had a huge roost near Des Moines. Hunters would try to get the birds between the roost and their feeding areas. In the mid-80s, a new crow call tape came out, and all those who had a varmit caller bought a copy. There were probably a couple dozen copies of the same tape in operation every day of the season. For the first year, birds came from miles to check out the tape. The next year, some came. The third year, they would look over toward the caller. By the fourth year, the tape didn't work at all. I didn't hear about anyone remixing it, but I wonder what characteristics of the tape they were recognizing?

Animal behavior as a science as always been too much like work for me, but I do have a bunch of good crow stories.

John Fleckenstein, zoologist
Natural Heritage Program
Washington Department of Natural Resources
John.Fleckenstein at wadnr.gov
(360) 902-1674